


The Ones Within - Infiltration Start!

by AkiDreams



Category: Persona 5, ナカノヒトゲノム【実況中】 | Naka no Hito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] (Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Let's Play, Canon Divergence, Crossover, Gen, NakaGeno AU, at times though, cuz I'm still waiting to buy :(, enjoy the ride i guess, follows the manga sorta, let's see where this goes, no P5R spoilers/content for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-23
Updated: 2019-10-31
Packaged: 2020-10-26 12:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,501
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20742128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkiDreams/pseuds/AkiDreams
Summary: After getting a suspicious email, Akira (and a bunch of other gamers) find themselves stranded in an unusual place. If they want to get out, they need to clear games IRL and rack up views?!...What?Alternatively, the Naka no Hito Genome [Jikkyouchuu] AU that nobody asked for!





	1. Prologue - A mysterious invitation

**Author's Note:**

> This is a teaser/prologue for a plot bunny that spawned while watching NakaGeno the anime and waiting impatiently for P5R. Also my attempt at bringing people in to the small NakaGeno fandom, cuz the manga has been one of my favourites for years! 
> 
> Disclaimer - I've never actually played P5 before (watched the anime though). So I apologize for OOC-ness of the characters. I'll be following the NakaGeno manga, basically (not too different from the anime???) but some changes may happen to fit the P5 cast shenanigans at times.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy~

_Ping!_

A notification popped up on the computer screen in a dark room.

\--START--

To: Joker [lookingc00l@pttakeyourheart.jp]  
From: Admin [noreply@nakanohitovelvetroom.jp]  
Received: April XX, 20XX  
Subject: Congratulations!

Message:

Congratulations!

We are offering you, a charismatic Let's Player that we've chosen, the privilege to play in the hidden stage of "The Ones Within - Velvet Room".

Furthermore, this privilege cannot be rejected or transferred.

We will come to welcome you soon.

\--END--

"..."

A young man read the message with a unfazed expression, while the yowls and hisses of a cat trailed from behind. He slowly removed his glasses, and retreated to his bed. 


	2. Game 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A teen wakes up to that his bedroom changed into a literal walk in the woods. This is only the start of what would be a very confusing and strange set of encounters...

A young man awoke to the discord of countless animal calls and the feeling of a cool breeze brushing over his face. 

This was not the attic that he had gone to sleep in the night before. He closed his eyes again, hoping that he would wake up in the right place next time. Maybe if he waited long enough, the chirping of birds would turn into the purrs of a cat. Sadly, it didn't work.

Deciding to sit up, he quickly shook the leaves out of his hair. Looking left and right, he found himself inside a dense forest. The trees were tall with lush, green leaves, nothing like the shrubs struggling to grow in the middle of backyards or sidewalks. The young man was sitting in the middle of a soft bed of grass and wildflowers. It seemed that he has been moved somewhere far from home, somewhere deep in the wilderness.

"..."

For now, he decided to find someone to answer his questions and moved to stand up. Before he could, however, his arm collided with something soft. There was a young woman lying unconscious near him in the clearing. She had short, brown hair with a braid going across her head like a headband. Judging from her thin, white shirt now stained with dirt and green patches as well as her short skirt, she probably didn't choose to come here for a trip in the wild either. 

"..."

In such a situation, the young man was faced with 3 options:

1) Call out to them normally, then check their breathing and pulse.

2) Look through their belongings for anything of interest.

3) Pretend not to see, then walk away.

As a good, law-abiding member of society, the young man knelt and reached out to wake her.

“Excuse me, miss. Are y—“

Leaning over her with his hand only inches from the woman’s shoulder, he watched her eyes flutter open and widen in surprise. Seconds later, he was suddenly sent sprawling onto the ground and pain exploded in his face.

"Hiyaaa!" A loud scream sent birds scattering into the afternoon sky. "What do you think you're doing, creep?!"

She lowered her fist and quickly jumped behind a nearby tree, glaring accusingly at the fallen man.

"..." The young man lifted his head and pressed down on his nose to try and slow the blood gushing out.

"...Say something!"

"I w's ch'ckin' up on y'u." The man answered back, voice muffled.

"...Really?"

"'f co'rse..."

"Oh gosh! I'm so sorry!!" Realizing her mistake, she immediately apologized. Rummaging her pockets for a handkerchief, she rushes over with it to try staunching the red river.

**CRACK!!**

Lifting her shoe, the pitiful remains of a pair of glasses laid shattered across the grass. With a horrified gasp, she stepped back and started a stream of apologies without pause. When she began to look faint from lack of oxygen and dismay, the young man decided to step in. He combed back the curly, black hair falling in front of his face with his hand in a suave motion and gave the panicking girl a reassuring look.

"No worries. I resist physical." He assured smoothly. 

Unfortunately, the hand he used to push back his bangs was the very same one which previously held his still-bleeding nose. This resulted in his forehead covered in blood that dripped slowly down to his eyes. He blinked and narrowed his eyes to try to stop the blood from getting in his eyes. Despite all this, he tried his best to maintain the reassuring smile sent to the girl. All in all, he looked as if he was possessed by a mystical being.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!” As expected, the woman screamed in fright and collapsed once again.

* * *

The woman woke up to the sounds of whistling. The same man that received her right hook earlier was sitting against the trunk of a large tree, holding a long piece of grass between his fingers. Fortunately for her sanity, there were no longer any traces of blood on his face. The moment she moved to sit up, he looked in her direction.

"You're awake." He started and slowly stood up from his spot. "For the record, I didn't get anywhere near you since you fainted."

"Ah...yes...Sorry for attacking you earlier...and for your glasses." She looked down awkwardly at the patch of grass she was pulling at. Seeing as the man was not making any suspicious movements, she supposed that she could let her guard down around him a bit for the time being.

"If you're feeling better, we should get going. We've been staying in this clearing for too long." The young man began walking slowly into the surrounding forest.

Seeing as there was no better alternative, she quickly got up and followed the young man. If he tried anything funny, she could use her well-honed aikido skills to take him down. He didn't look like the type to practice martial arts or train at a gym.

* * *

They walked around long roots and thick bushes for what felt like hours. The uneven ground and the uncomfortable pokes from nearby branches made the walk feel longer and more tiring than normal. Not having a clue where they were and where they could be heading worsened their already frayed nerves.

"By the way, I don't think I got your name earlier. My name is Niijima Makoto." The girl broke the heavy silence when she couldn't stand it anymore. She needed something to distract her from the fear and dread that had been slowly sinking in since waking up in the field. If she had woke up alone instead...she shook her head to rid herself of those thoughts.

"Just call me Joker." The black-haired man replied while looking back with a crooked grin. Somehow, he looked completely composed despite finding himself in the same situation as her. Even the tricky terrain and his missing glasses didn't seem to bother him. His confident aura appeared completely different from the young man previously collapsed with a bleeding nose. Makoto absently wondered if he got a concussion from her hit earlier.

"Anyway, where on earth could we be? We have been walking in this forest for hours..." Makoto looked around worriedly.

"Most likely somewhere far from any large cities. It's even possible that we've been moved outside of Japan."

"Why would we be taken to the middle of nowhere?"

"Who knows." Joker shrugged. "Maybe there will be someone running at us soon throwing high-tech, fingerprint-activated bombs like in some sort of real life MMO."

Makoto, with her minimal understanding of pop culture, did not understand a word of it. Eventually, the pair came across a dirt path and decided to follow it. Hopefully it would lead them to a town of sorts where they could ask for help. If not, at least some food and water would be highly appreciated after travelling for so long.

"There's something else that I just cannot understand..." Makoto slowed to a halt. "Why am I wearing this uniform? I definitely do not remember wearing this to bed last night..."

"..." The duo was indeed dressed in matching black jackets with white dress shirts and black-and-red plaid bottoms. While Joker had an actual blazer and pants however, Makoto instead wore a button-up vest and a short skirt.

"...Wait a moment." Makoto shot an accusing glare at Joker. "...You didn't..." 

"It wasn't me." Joker shot her a very firm look.

"...But—"

"It wasn't me."

**BOOOOM!!**

The two flinched at the sudden loud noises interrupting their conversation.

**BOOOOOM!!**

**BAAANG!!**

**BOOOOOOM!!**

"...Joker."

"It wasn't me."

"I know that... but do the sounds seem like they are getting... closer?"

The sounds were indeed getting louder, as if approaching them. The trees shook and sent the birds scattering in every direction. Whatever it was, it sounded dangerous.

"Niijima. Get behind me." Joker quickly dashed towards a large tree on the side of the road. Pressing his side onto the thick trunk, he turned to look warily in the direction of the commotion. Makoto hurried to follow and stood by Joker nervously.

**BOOOOOOM!!**

**BOOOOOOOM!!**

The loud noises continued to grow. They could feel the ground tremor beneath their feet. 

Suddenly, a massive yellow claw crashed onto the path, just inches away from their hiding place. The sharp claw was connected to a huge monster like nothing they have seen before. The _thing_ had a thick mane of white hair surrounding its dark face. Its beady red eyes and wide grin filled with pointy canines gave off a malicious expression. Inexplicably, there appeared to be a live snake attached to its backside....or was that a tail?

With yellow-black striped limbs as thick as tree trunks, it ripped a large boulder from the roadside and threw it into the forest. The snapping of branches and the crash as the boulder landed still could not drown out the sound of a loud gunshot that rang out at the same time.

**BAANG!**

"Kyaa—!" The sudden commotion startled Makoto, who involuntarily stepped back onto a small twig.

**SNAP!**

"...!"

It was too late, even as she immediately lifted her foot and slapped a hand onto her mouth. The monster turned its furry head in the duo's direction, beady eyes trained on their stiff forms. Leaning forward, it prepared to leap towards to two teens in a fierce strike.

**BAAANG!**

The monster halted its movement and collapsed sideways onto the dirt path with a loud crash. A pool of red grew beneath its head.

"Just to be safe—"

**BAAANG!**

Another shot went straight for the eye of the large beast. Its beady eyes slowly dulled as life seeped out of the body.

"Are the two of you alright?" A polite voice called out, snapping the pair out of their frozen state.

Turning to the right, there was a neatly dressed young man with light brown hair reaching his nape who stood in the middle of the path. His attire was much different that the pair's black and white motif. Instead, he wore a dark pants, a tan blazer and a matching tie. He held a small, metal suitcase in one hand, and a handgun pointed towards the body of the monster in the other.

"Yes. Thanks for the help with that thing just now." Joker was the first to regain his composure and responded with a nod. He stepped out from the cover of the tree and slowly approached the unknown teen.

"...Why does he have a gun?!" Makoto, who remained behind cover, questioned quietly. Her eyes were trained the weapon warily. Joker just shrugged.

"As people who have been similarly woke up in this unknown place, I believe it is in our mutual interest to help each other out." The brown-haired teen gave a bright smile and lowered his arm as he walked around the large corpse. "In fact, I must also thank the two of you for providing a timely diversion. Those happened to be my final two bullets in this cartridge, you see."

Joker nodded and gave a small smile. "Nice teamwork."

"Excuse me...Who might you be?" Makoto visibly relaxed upon hearing those words, and slowly walked up behind Joker as she spoke. "You mentioned before that we were also 'people who woke up in an unknown place'."

"Ah, my apologies. I still haven't introduced myself." The young man placed his gun in the holster on his waist and extended his hand. "My name is Akechi Goro."

"Joker." He firmly shook the offered hand.

"I am Niijima Makoto. Nice to meet you." Not forgetting her manners, Makoto quickly bowed politely.

"To answer your earlier question, both your clothes are rather rumpled and there are visible grass and dirt stains. Neither of you appear to hold any communication devices or ID at the moment. Therefore, I deduced that instead of being those responsible, you two are more likely victims of this predicament as well." Akechi reasoned with an assured expression. He gestured in the air with an upturned palm as he presented his theories.

"Your reasoning is sound, Akechi-kun. And you hinted at a party responsible for all this?" Makoto accepted the explanation Akechi offered but continued to watch him with caution.

"Considerable manpower and organization would be required to transport multiple people out of their homes in the dead of the night without raising alarm."

"Following that logic, how can we be certain that you are not working together with this group you mentioned? You happen to be armed with a firearm."

"I admit, based on the previous points, it would seem suspicious that I somehow kept my belongings." Akechi smiled lightly. "However, there must always be a motive to every orchestration. _Assuming_ I am the culprit, what reason would I have to bring you here? Why would I choose to appear before you now?"

"Well...That is..." Makoto, struggling to come up with a strong answer to Akechi, looked down at her shoes in frustration. Even so, she could not bring herself to trust the brown-haired male in front of her just yet, no matter how well-mannered he presented himself. From his appearance, he should be a high school student just like her, but he owns a gun for some reason. The way he took care of the monster earlier shows that he was very familiar with it too. While that did save their lives in the end, Makoto cannot seem to shake the feeling that she should be very careful of this young man.

"I don't think you're the culprit." Joker's bold declaration startled the two out of their stalemate.

"I suppose I should give my thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm curious what basis you used to make that decision?" Akechi turned to Joker with a curious look.

"You did save us earlier. And if you really are the culprit, there would be no need for you to do that nor go through the trouble of trying to explain yourself to us. We'd be easily brought to wherever you need us by the others you mentioned." Joker explained, looking Akechi straight in the eye without backing down. "If you are not the culprit, it is better to become allies and share our information instead."

"Hm. An intriguing perspective."

"Honestly, there's one more reason why. The main one, really."

"Oh? And what would that be?"

"I trust my instincts." Joker's tone was steady and confident.

"Hm. Are you perhaps referring to something similar to a detective's intuition?"

"My Third Eye doesn't perceive you as a threat."

"..."  
"..."

Both Makoto and Akechi blinked at Joker, perplexed. The curly-haired boy briefly wondered if he chose the wrong dialog option just now.

"...I see. I must admit, that was not what I was expecting." Akechi put his hand to his chin and appeared to be deep in thought. He cleared his throat and continued after a moment. "Joker... Your moniker, and your confident tone of voice...I feel as if I have encountered it somewhere in the past."

"Your voice also sounds a bit familiar..." Joker smirked wryly. "You wouldn't happen to be some super famous JPOP artist, would you?"

"Sorry to disappoint, but I don't see great prospects for myself in the music industry." Akechi replied lightly.

"What a shame. I was looking forward to an autograph as my master plan to get rich quick."

While Makoto was listening to the two young men with an expression of complete confusion, she suddenly jolted up and looked to the side with serious expression.

"Looking forward to it...Is this what the message meant by 'We look forward to meeting you'?" She mumbled to herself, thinking hard.

"The hidden stage..." Joker recalled the mysterious email he had received last night. Could that be what the message had been hinting at.

'The Ones Within - Velvet Room' (or 'TOW' for short, without the 'VR' to avoid misunderstandings) was a free PC game currently trending all over the web. A quick online search would yield pages and pages of playthroughs, reviews, discussions and rants about this game. The download link had mysteriously exploded all over social media one day. No one knew who made the game, nor where it came from.

The game consisted of multiple stages and challenges with wildly different genres and gameplay techniques. This is the biggest reason why the game was considered practically unclearable. Only the most hardcore of gamers dared to challenge it, and just streaming TOW pretty much guaranteed views in the hundred thousands. However, there has never been a single uploader known to have ever successfully cleared, nor attempted the final stage.

Joker had planned to undertake the challenge that no one else succeeded in. Before he could, however, he received that strange email and ended up here. It all seemed too much to be a coincidence.

Before he could bring up that idea to the other two, a loud rustling of leaves made them turn around warily. Something was quickly approaching them from the forest behind them. Bursting out of the bushes were two strange figures.

One resembled a dark green marshmallow figure, with lifeless white eyes and a pale cloth wrapped around its waist for a minimum level of public decency. It had a sharp-looking weapon in its hand that it looked fully willing to use against unsuspecting teens.

"OOoooooo...!" A ghoulish wail came from the fold in the marshmallow that was most likely its mouth.

The other could only be described as a plump-looking snowman with a cute blue hood and matching boots. It looked suspiciously familiar to a mascot plushie that can be found in arcades or amusement parks. Its eyes and mouth were empty and black as the abyss, but they were narrowed in obviously malicious intent. The creature's hood, which popped out like two crooked ears, had a smiley face embroidered in the middle that completely contrasted the wearer's expression.

"Hee ho! Imma gonna kill you! Hee hee ho!" The blue and white creature announced in a childish voice and began to pelt the three teens with large chunks of ice. The trio immediately spun around and dashed behind the large tree to avoid being hit.

"It appears we may have overstayed our welcome." Akechi pointed out as he crouched down near Joker and Makoto. He appeared to be looking for something in his suitcase.

Joker once again pressed his back against the tree that separated him from the flurry of ice. Despite its small stature, the little snowman had a vicious throwing arm. A frontal charge into the barrage would just end up with him knocked unconscious on the ground. While the shrubs in the forest provide some cover, moving through them would cause too much noise for a successful ambush from the side or around the back. Joker looked from side to side, searching for a way to sneak up on the small creature. In his focused state, he failed to realize a large figure camouflaged in the foliage approaching from the opposite side of the tree.

"Joker! Behind you!" Makoto yelled as the dark green figure reached out for a sneak attack.

Joker quickly pushed off from the tree and rolled forward to dodge, while Makoto charged at the striking figure. In one smooth motion, she grabbed the thick arm with both hands and twisted her body to the side. Using the monster's own forward momentum, Makoto lurched forward and flipped the marshmallow monster over her shoulder. It crashed onto the ground with a loud slam.

Everyone froze, not expecting her to be able to flip such a large body like a sack of potatoes.

"!!!" Joker realized that this was the perfect chance to counterattack.

Before anyone else snapped out of their stupor, Joker quickly slipped past Akechi and motioned to the gun holster fastened on his waist. Akechi immediately turned to him with a vigilant and questioning gaze.

"Mind if I borrow this?" Joker's eyes shone with a mischievous light.

"Hm. You seem to something in mind." Akechi spent a few moments to consider the situation as he looked Joker in the eye. There was only one monster left to dispatch, but it had incredible range and would be difficult to approach without sustaining some injury. However, it was still distracted from seeing its partner so easily taken down. The gun's cartridge was still empty, meaning that Joker would not be a threat, even if Akechi agrees to lend it out temporarily. Akechi couldn't accurately predict what the other man had in mind, having only met him for less than a day. But from his smirk and determined gaze, Joker was absolutely confident in his strategy.

With a small nod, Akechi conceded and allowed Joker to pull out his gun. He would use this chance to ascertain the extent of Joker's abilities.

"Thanks." Joker grinned and quickly headed towards the large tree.

Using the fallen marshmallow monster as a foothold, Joker jumped and swung onto a thick branch hidden in the leaves. Agile as a cat, he dashed along the branch just as the little snowman resumed its icy barrage a few feet below. He suddenly leapt down from the branch and landed directly behind the creature. A swift kick sent the snowman sprawling to the ground and stopping its stream of attacks. When it tried to get up and retaliate, Joker kept it in place with a solid foot on its back until the struggling stopped.

"Heee?!" When the foot was lifted, the snowman spun around to face the barrel of a handgun now pointed at its head. "W-wait! It's not a good idea to be shooting so recklessly, ho!"

"Checkmate." Joker smirked victoriously at the fallen snowman. 

"I've had hee-enough of this hee-horrible treatment. It's an indignity, ho!" The snowman rubbed its backside and winced in pain. It made no move to attack Joker or the others, however. "How can you do such a terrible thing to a cute hee-ho like me!?"

"Now that you mention it..." Joker lifted his free hand to his chin, showing a thoughtful expression.

"You didn't realize until now? I guess that my cuteness still has a ways to go ho..." The little snowman huffed.

"You're cute enough to be a mascot." Joker assured.

"Hee-hho hee-ho! You're a nice guy, ho!" The snowman cheered up and lifted its arm to Joker. "The name's Jack Frost ho!"

"Joker." He bent down to shake Jack Frost's hand with a friendly smile.

"Not bad. I never expected a negotiation." A new voice called out from the shadows, accompanied by the rustling of bushes.

The three teens turned towards the depths of the forest with wary looks. They expected yet another aggressive monster to show up, but there was none in sight. The little snowman just shuffled away and disappeared in another direction in the meantime.

"Over here!" The voice called again. "...Amateurs."

Looking down, there was what appeared to be a masked black cat walking on two legs and giving them an annoyed stare. It wore a bright yellow scarf around its neck and a black utility belt. Unlike the snowman from before, the cat did not seem openly hostile, and made no moves to attack them.

"...Is that a talking cat?" Makoto stared with a puzzled expression.

"It is too cartoon-like. Perhaps an animatronic..." Akechi added.

"I am NEITHER! Say that again and I'll make sure you regret it!" The newcomer huffed while jumping up and down in anger. "The name's Morgana. I'm the supervisor for you lot in the 14th Avenue of _The Ones Within - Velvet Room_."

The teens perked up at the mention of the game. They may have been onto something earlier.

"Good work on being the first to clear Stage 1 'Shadow Battle'. I see you guys have a lot of potential." Morgana nodded to itself with a satisfied smile. "You have good sense and reflexes. With your group, reaching the goal might just be possible!"

"Goal?" Joker frowned in confusion.

"The goal to reach a view count of 100 million. You guys should be plenty familiar with that term, considering all your streaming experience...  
_Eiko&Mako Channel_'s Niijima Makoto,  
_Justice Advent_'s Detective Prince, Akechi Goro,  
and _Phantom Thieves_' Joker, Kurusu Akira."

Morgana gave a pointed look to each of them in turn. The three teens stiffened as their full names were called. Whoever it was that brought them here, they seem to know all about each of them and gathered them for a very specific purpose. Makoto watched Morgana with a horrified expression as the revelation sunk in. Akechi narrowed his eyes and subconsciously reached down to the holster on his side. Unfortunately, his gun was both empty and still in Joker's hands. Joker, on the other hand, managed to keep his cool and stepped forward towards Morgana.

"So, you brought us here because need our help." Joker's question came out sounding like a blunt statement of fact.

"You catch on pretty quick!" Morgana smiled proudly. "Now, if you look on your left wrist, there's something to help keep track of your progress."

No. 14  
000563729

Pulling up their sleeves, the teens were shocked to find these numbers printed on their skin. The lower number appeared to be changing and increasing over time. No matter how they rubbed and wiped at the digits, they would not go away.

"There's a nanochip under there connected to the main server in the central tower." Morgana explained. "It is very handy. You can see the view count in real-time whenever you want."

"Would I be correct in assuming that preventing our escape and enforcing mandatory participation in this scheme of yours are some other _handy_ features of this chip you _happened_ to insert without consent?" Akechi retorted, a hint of rage in his eyes underneath his calm and civil visage.

"No need to be so hostile. We'll gladly provide everything you and your companions will need to make your stay comfortable."

"Are you going to send us home if we complete this goal for you?" Makoto spoke up cautiously. "What happens to us if we can't..."

"Don't worry. You have lots of time to hit 100 million." Morgana smiled widely, so different from the bone-chilling words spoken. "All the time in the world, in fact. So, feel free to participate as if your life depends on it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy (last moments of) Halloween!
> 
> I'm taking the challenge to evade P5R spoilers until I can finally play it in the West, so there won't be anything/anyone from there in this fic planned.
> 
> If anyone was wondering, the 3 shadows that showed up in the chapter (in order) were Nue, Mokoi and Jack Frost. 
> 
> See you next time~!


End file.
